Somewhere Close By
by Quaggy
Summary: Post-Chosen. In between leading the Main Council Office in London and dealing with random apocalypses, Giles and Buffy figure out what they want in their personal lives.
1. Lost and Found

Title: Lost and Found  
Series: Somewhere Close By (1 of 3)  
Originally Published: June 14, 2016  
Pairing: Buffy/Giles  
Notes: This fic take place roughly sometime around 2004 or 2005. The first iPhone wasn't released unitl 2007. While there were BlackBerrys and other sorts of PDAs on the market, I'm assuming that both Giles and Buffy would opt, at least initially, for simple flip-phones.

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It was an unremarkable row house in Bloomsbury. While what went on inside that row house was rather extraordinary, on the surface it looked very much like the others surrounding it. In fact, its only distinguishing feature was the agitated Englishman pacing outside. Rupert Giles, Head Watcher for the Slayer's Council of Watchers, was in a dark mood. It had been a rather unbearable day and it was only just mid-afternoon.

Even on a good day, they were short-staffed, especially in terms of people who had actual first-hand experience in the field. In the weeks after the battle with the First, they had quickly re-established the Main Council Office in London with a second headquarters on the hellmouth in Cleveland. They had to put their plans for a possible slayer training facility on hold until more Watchers could complete their education, so new slayers and watchers both were trained in London, with the option of moving on to Cleveland for more field experience, if they so wished.

Willow had chosen to stay with Kennedy in Cleveland, serving as Watcher along with Robin. Faith was Lead Slayer, with anywhere from five to twenty slayers in residence at one time. The Cleveland hellmouth had become much more active since the destruction of Sunnydale, so there was plenty of action to go around. But most slayers eventually chose to return to the place that they called home, building their own support networks for themselves, much the same way that Buffy had. The Council was only a phone call away and Buffy and Xander would regularly fly to check in with them, so they were never truly on their own. The Sunnydale Slayers in particular were becoming so proficient that they would soon be able to take on apprentices of their own, making the training side of things that much easier.

But after Faith and Robin had called it quits for the final time, it seemed wise for him and Xander to switch posts. Andrew, having trained with Robson, had opted to go to Cleveland as well to take on the administration side of things. Willow reported that things were going much more smoothly now that they had someone dedicated to the task. It had only been a month, but it looked like the reassignments were working out just fine. Xander was happy to be back in the States and closer to Willow again and Robin seemed to be enjoying taking on a more active teaching role.

But all this shuffling happened just months after a small group of experienced watchers left to take posts with the slayers who had settled in other parts of the world. This meant that the London office was only staffed with two new watchers still in training, in addition to Giles, Robson, and Robin. There would be a few soon-to-be Watchers graduating from University in the spring and Dawn would likely go to UCL, so she would be able to do some work part-time. But, in the meantime, there was too much work and not enough hands. Most of the additional responsibilities would tend fall on Giles's shoulders, though Buffy did try to take on as much as she could when she was in town. Another negative side effect of the reshuffling was that Robin did not know the slayers in the field the way that Xander and Buffy did, so he would not be able to make solo trips for a while. That combined with the extra visits to make sure that the new field watchers were settling into their posts meant that Buffy was constantly traveling.

It was fortunate that Buffy was in town at all. She had only recently returned from Argentina and was scheduled to leave for Malaysia next week. It was true that things did go much more smoothly if she was around. The slayers all looked up to her and the watchers were intimidated by her, which meant the Head Slayer was able to take on some of Giles's duties if he needed her to. In this case, she was able to take his place when he and Robson were to meet with the previous generations of watchers. Most of them were long-retired and made Travers look positively progressive in comparison. Yet they still insisted on having a say. Robson was of the opinion that it was easier to placate them with infrequent meetings and then ignore all their advice than it was to have to deal with whatever nonsense that they would try to throw their way in retaliation with over a snub. As much as Giles disliked these meetings, he did see the wisdom in the approach and Buffy was quite easily able to play the role of his "bad cop" to Robson's "good cop". Everything was working, if a bit precariously.

Therefore it was downright disconcerting when Giles entered the office this morning to hear Robson brief Buffy on meeting with the retired watchers alone.

"Robson, I'll be fine. Don't worry."

"They are a bunch of old sexists, Buffy, and I shudder to imagine what they will come up with if you are by yourself. Just try not to murder them. Justifiable homicide or not, the paperwork will be a nightmare. Have pity on me."

"Can I rough them up a little?"

"Well, I don't personally have a problem with that. . ."

"What's going here?"

"Morning, Giles! There has been a slight change of plans. Robson needs to fill in for Robin, so I'm meeting with the Old Fart Brigade by myself. Carol is going to take my afternoon training session, just in case we go long."

"And dare I ask why Robin needs someone to fill in for him?"

Robson explained as Buffy left for her meeting. During patrol the night before the night before, a group of five slayers and Robin serving as Watcher executed a plan to take out a large vampire nest in Brixton with Hendricks shadowing Robin as part of his watcher training. The plan was well-designed and their intelligence was good. It all should have gone smoothly. However, rather than following in the noble Watcher tradition of getting knocked out or even the less noble tradition of cowering behind a tombstone or nearby bush, Hendricks was opted to set the bar even lower by losing his head and running through the fray in a fruitless search for a way out.

"I don't have all the details, Rupert, but I take it that Wood had to tackle Hendricks to the ground before the useless git could endanger the Slayers. The poor boy got seriously injured in the process, but all the girls are unhurt."

"And Hendricks?"

"Traumatized. We had to sedate him. I knew the boy was green, but I never expected this level of incompetence."

"Nor I. Will Robin be alright?"

"Looks like it. Still in hospital, but I have no doubt he'll be back on his feet before we know it."

"So do you think that Hendricks truly is so incompetent or is there something more sinister at play?"

"Well, that's the question, isn't it?"

It took Giles the better part of the morning to unravel that one, but it fortunately did appear that Hendricks was just grossly unsuited to be an active Watcher. He, Robson, and Buffy would have to have a long, serious talk about how best to proceed from here.

He had barely had a chance to (finally) make a cup of tea, when Lewis called him to mediate a dispute between four slayers. As soon as he realized who the four in question were, he understood why the young Watcher had thought it beyond her abilities to manage and had wisely called for assistance. In the days after the fall of Sunnydale, the four newly-called Slayers were able to find each other before the reformed Council and its allies could find them. The Watcher who did finally reach them would refer to them as "the Lasses" so often that the name had stuck. The Lasses' dynamic reminded Giles of happier times back in Sunnydale High. Buffy had once confided in him that she had to work hard to squash her tendency to be overprotective when it came to Lasses for the exact same reason. To see them yelling so bitterly was rather horrifying. Even more so, when it became clear after speaking with each Slayer separately that much of the discord had been acerbated by another slayer, Cathory, who Giles had already been keeping an eye on. Buffy had described her as a "Mean Girl" which, from what Giles understood, was something like the high school versions Harmony or Cordelia at their most cruel. The fact that Cathory made Buffy uneasy had been enough reason for Giles to be more watchful. That she was having such a dramatic influence was serious cause for concern. The Head Watcher assigned each of the four Lasses tasks that would keep them separated for the rest of the day and had waited for Buffy to return.

And here he was an hour later, pacing and still waiting for her to show. If he was honest, he had only begun to pace outside because he was hoping to catch sight for her that much sooner.

He suddenly became aware of where he was and realized that he had wandered much farther away. He was no longer in sight of Headquarters. Bother. He checked his jacket pocket to make sure his mobile was on. It would just be his luck that some other disaster would happen while he had been out wandering. Oh, of course! Buffy would have her "cell phone" with her. It was a statement to the level of his agitation that he didn't think of it until now.

The voice that answered the phone was far too high-spirited.

"Hi!"

"Buffy, where are you?"

"Hello to you too, Giles. What's wrong?"

"Well, our Head Slayer has been missing for several hours."

"I had that stupid meeting with the Old Guard, which took forever. They are all still alive and unharmed, by the way. But I so needed some fresh air after that, so I decided to walk back."

Brilliant. Probably was planning on shopping while she was at it. She was likely in some store somewhere right at this moment.

"So where are you now?"

"I . . . don't actually know." Her tone was light. Giles couldn't tell if she was serious or not.

"Buffy!"

"I think I took a wrong turn after Piccadilly Circus. I should have passed Chinatown by now. Your city is seriously lacking in the signage department once you get away from tourist central."

"A street name would be helpful, Buffy."

"You're telling me!"

"Are you completely certain that you are even walking in the right direction?"

"Not even a little certain," she replied airily. "But sooner or later I have to pass by some sort of landmark, right? This city has more than its fair share of historically happening hot spots. As soon as I find one, I can figure things out from there. Oh wait! Good news! I think that's bookstore ahead! I'll tell you which one it is and you can tell me where I am!"

"Buffy, I do not know every booksto—"

"Whoops! It's a porn shop! A gay erotica shop, to be precise. I suppose you wouldn't know where that was. Although the sign says it was established in the '70s, so maybe—"

"Buffy!"

"Sorry," she replied, completely unrepentant. "I'm just saying, Ripper was more of a libertine. So theoretically. . . "

Giles huffed in aggravation. He did not know where that particular bookshop was, thank you very much. But he did now suspect that she must be near Old Compton Street. His pacing had already taken him in that general direction, so he set out with more purpose.

"Any landmarks other than pornography stores?"

"No. . . Wait, I think that restaurant looks familiar. I might have led a patrol around here a few weeks ago. . . Just a minute. . . No, I'm wrong. It's. . . Oh! I know where I am now! I'm right off of Tottenham Court Road! I should be back at the office soon!" she cried, triumphantly.

"Marvelous."

"I really did take a wrong turn. How did I even do that?" Buffy's voice was soft and bemused. He felt his heart twist a little. He had forgotten that, under normal circumstances, when Buffy was this impossible, it was usually because she was worried. It was just that it had been so long since things had been relatively normal. Since before Glory.

He took a small side street to Tottenham Court Road, crossing at the intersection without looking around him, as he listened to Buffy try to work out how she wound up where she wound up. Just as he was about to ask her what landmarks she was near, there she was, emerging around the corner, two blocks down, like it had been bloody choreographed. She spotted him right away and her shocked and relieved expression made him smile.

"How on earth did you find me?" she asked in awe.

"I rather think that was you." He likely had been drawn in her general direction from the moment she first realized she was lost. What he had thought was merely frustrated pacing was the urge to find his Slayer. There was a fair amount of evidence that slayers could often unconsciously call their watchers to them in moments of great distress. Buffy had done so numerous times on in Sunnydale without either of them realizing the significance.

"Are you alright?" he asked, as soon as she approached, both of them putting away their phones.

"Better now. Robson totally called it. They were every bit as terrible as he was imagining. I really wanted to do some violence, but their arguments were so pathetic that I figured using my brain as a weapon was going to hurt them more."

"Good show," Giles said, feeling a proud grin spread across his face. "I hope you massacred them."

"Total carnage," Buffy said, with same quiet pride of when she defeated a particularly nasty foe. "But that left me in a pretty rotten mood. And it was gorgeous out. So I walked back. But then the clouds started matching my mood. And. . ." Buffy waved her small purse.

"No brolly," Giles noted, sympathetically.

"And then I realized I was lost and really I'm just done. What about you? How are things back at the ranch?"

With a groan, Giles described everything that had occurred that morning first with Hendricks and then the problem of the Lasses and Cathory.

"And the whole situation situation must have reminded you of how Spike played us all my Freshman year," Buffy observed.

"Yes, well." Giles eyes drifted off, thinking of much unhappier times and the even worse times that were to follow. He felt a tug on his tie. He looked down at Buffy's face and read the mixture of empathy and exhaustion.

"Hey! I got lost today. Buy a girl a cuppa?"

Without conscious thought, Giles swept her up into a hug. For a moment, he just took comfort in her embrace and then it occurred to him how unusually agitated he had been until that very moment. Even taking into account that he was unconsciously answer his Slayer's distress signal, he was still far more upset that the circumstances had warranted. You would think it had been the end of the world, given the way he was now clinging to the one he loved.

The one he loved.

Well, that was it, wasn't it? The reason for his unease and the truth he had been avoiding for far too long. He was in love with his Slayer. No, he was in love with Buffy Summers. How could he not be? And he had very nearly ruined things between them those last years in Sunnydale because he had been running from that truth.

Well, that was then and this was now. He was not going to repeat the same mistakes. He stroked her hair and let Buffy hold on to him as long as she thought she needed to.

"Have you eaten anything?" he asked, once she had released him.

"You mean since breakfast? No, I guess not."

"Neither have I. What would you say to afternoon tea?"

"That sounds like heaven! I suppose I couldn't talk you into the restaurant at the top of the Great Court?" Buffy teased. Giles knew she had been yearning to go, but couldn't justify the expense to herself when there were so many nice tea shops close by for a fraction of the price.

"Actually, that was precisely the place I was about to suggest."

"Seriously?!"

"I think we both deserve a little spoiling," he replied, offering her his arm, and then leading his love toward the British Museum.

The way things were now, what did it matter if he loved her? A few years ago, after her resurrection, things were too unequal. She still looked to him to be her caretaker and he no longer knew how to fulfill that role.

But now, Buffy had a confidence in herself and her choices that came from hard-earned experience. She was had become so self-reliant, that she was both grateful and surprised when he would try to assist her with something that she felt she could handle on her own. Which, at this point, was most things and, to be fair, she was mostly right. But more than that, she would actively seek to share his burdens in return, simply as a way to show him that she cared. She had become his partner fully.

It wasn't exactly a romantic partnership, but it was something close to it. As long as he could keep her near him, he would be satisfied.


	2. Early Morning Wake-Up Call

Title: Early Morning Wake-Up Call  
Series: Somewhere Close By (2 of 3)  
Originally Published: June 21, 2016  
Pairing: Buffy/Giles

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Buffy had long held the belief that four in the morning was not an hour of the day that should be met consciously. Yet here she was. Part of the problem was that it was 11am in Chengdu and her internal clock was still set to that time. The other part of the problem was that while her bed was fairly comfortable, it was still, in essence, a dorm bed. Better than sleeping on the floor, but only marginally so. Not the type of bed that you could snuggle yourself into sleeping for another hour.

It wasn't obligatory that all London slayers live in the dormitory near Kings Cross, any more than it was obligatory that the slayers in Cleveland live in the big group home, but most did. It was conveniently located and no one had to hide who they were or why they were always coming home at 3am, looking like they had been in a knock-down fight.

But Buffy hadn't originally planned to do so. She had Dawn to think about. She was going to find a nice flat somewhere, maybe even a house. But Dawn fell in love with the boarding school that most Watcher families sent their children (Giles was an alumnus) and she had bonded with the other Watcher kids who had survived the Bringers attacks. It wasn't exactly the traditional definition of "normal," but Buffy would rather have Dawn surrounded by people who loved and understood her than to feel alienated and burdened by secrets she couldn't share.

But that left Buffy at loose ends. She didn't really like the idea of having a flat to herself when, thanks to her crazy travel schedule, she was barely going to be spending any time there at all. And there happened to be a nice suite in the slayer dorm with a small sitting room and kitchen area. Not to mention its own bathroom. It was the only one like it in the building, the rest of the floors were laid out in the tradition dorm configuration with small individual rooms and a shared bathroom, kitchen and common area. The slayers had all been fighting over who would get it, so it seemed to solve a lot of problems to pull rank and claim it for herself. But it wasn't home. Just a place to store her stuff. She would often stay in hotel rooms that felt more personal. Some of it was because she just wasn't around. Some of it was because she knew the dorm was temporary.

There wasn't a lot of space, but right now that didn't matter. Dawn spent her holidays traveling with Buffy. Dawn loved being able to catch up with all the Sunnydale Slayers and Buffy loved that she was finally able to fulfill her promise to show her little sister the world. Maybe when Dawn graduated, they would find that flat for themselves, but right now Dawn seemed perfectly content to sleep on an air mattress on the rare night they were in London. And Buffy knew that they could always crash with Giles if it were any problems before they found a place of their own.

Giles. Well, that was another issue completely. He had offered her a room in his gorgeous townhouse back when she was first trying to figure out the housing situation, but Buffy figured she was better off seeing if she couldn't stand on her own. And yeah, some of that back then might have been because of how things went down after she was brought back and worry about what would happen if she ever leaned too heavily on her Watcher again. But, recently Giles had renewed the offer, rightly pointing out that she wasn't really comfortable in her dorm. And her reasons for refusing now were different.

Giles meant everything to her and it was only natural that she wanted to stay as close to him as possible. Moving in would certainly do that and it would be so easy to just give in. But, if she did, she'd be cheating herself and she'd be cheating Giles. Giles had given up so much for her over the years and Buffy couldn't help but think that letting his Slayer live with him would almost be like Giles was giving up ever having a life outside of the Council. And as for her, there was a good chance that it would start to become too much like. . . well, like a marriage, without the sex. Because she never could seem to get close enough. If Giles was standing next to her, she wanted to be holding his hand. If he held her hand, she wanted to be in his arms. And if he was hugging her, holding her, what she wanted started to veer in truly wig-some territory. She wanted all that he would give her. She wanted everything. She wanted— She wasn't going to go there.

She had such a lousy track record with love. Male or female, no matter whom she was attracted to romantically, in the end, they always was hiding some deep dark secret. But she knew everything about Giles, all the big stuff and a fair amount of the small stuff too. She knew his flaws, his weaknesses, and was a first-hand witness to some of his dumber mistakes. It would be so easy to just let herself. . .

With a sigh, Buffy decided she might as well get up and make herself a cup of tea. She switched the kettle on and rummaged in the cabinet, trying to decide if she wanted a green tea or an herbal blend. England (and Giles) had its influence, finally, irrevocably, turning her into a tea drinker, but she had developed a taste for more than just the traditional black during her travels. Herbal, maybe. She had been drinking an awful lot of green this past month, even before she left for China. She might have some of that orange and cranberry left, though chamomile would probably be more soothing. A mug of that, wrapping herself up in her throw and curling up on top of her fluffy duvet actually sounded pretty cozy. She might even be able to doze off again.

She had just grabbed the tea box and her favorite mug when the phone jangled, startling her and sending her adrenaline sky high. No one would call this early if it wasn't an emergency.

"Hello?"

"Buffy, dear, this is Margaret Harkness."

"Hi Margaret. Is everything okay?" Buffy equally loved and was intimidated as hell by Willow's teacher and head of the Devon coven, so it was still a little difficult referring to her by her first name. But Margaret had insisted.

"I'm afraid not. I do believe we have another apocalypse on our hands."

"Cleveland?" Buffy put the chamomile away and pulled out her box of English Breakfast. No use pretending anymore that her day hadn't already started.

"I'm afraid so. The seers couldn't make out their identities, but they will succeed in opening the seal to the Hellmouth if you don't stop them in time."

"There's only about eight slayers stationed there right now. Will that be enough?"

"I would say at least twenty or thirty more if you can."

"It's not even midnight in Cleveland. Is it going down now? Because I don't know how I'll be able to get enough able bodies there in time." The kettle clicked off, as Buffy grabbed a second mug. She pour the hot water into both and let the tea bags seep.

"No, we have a least a day. But time and distance will no longer be an issue. The multi-user portal is ready."

"You guys figured it out?! I thought that was only in the theoretical stage."

"It's not much past theoretical, but it will hopefully do the trick."

"Well, it's not the first time we've faced an apocalypse on a wing and a prayer. Should I wake up the girls?"

"No, let them sleep for now. There's nothing that can be done for several hours and we don't want rouse suspicions with the sudden appearance of a slayer battalion."

"Right. I'll check in with Giles and form a battle plan. Keep me posted if you guys find out anything else."

"Of course."

"Oh, and Margaret? Thank you. I don't know what we all would do without you and the coven."

"It is our honor, dear."

Hanging up the phone, Buffy turned her attention to the tea, removing the tea bags. A little bit of milk and lots of sugar in the first mug and more milk and slightly less sugar in the second. With a twirl of the spoon, she set them both spinning.

She had only taken a couple sips of her tea when a knock came at the door. Placing it down again, Buffy picked up the second cup and opened the door for her Watcher.

"Bless you!" Giles said fervently, as shifted the scrolls and papers he was carrying to grab the proffered mug.

"Margaret called and filled me in. Thirty extra slayers?! That's more than the battle with the First."

"There's every indication this is part of some deeper plan. It doesn't just stop with opening the Hellmouth. It's starts with it."

"Why am I even surprised anymore? Alright. Show me what you've got."

Over the few hours, Buffy and Giles poured over maps, consulted prophesies, and made battle plans. Margaret called backed three times with more information. A little after six, Buffy stretched and offered to make more tea. The other slayers would be stirring soon and they would need to be ready to brief them.

"Are you alright? Has jetlag had been troubling you?" Giles asked, as Buffy handed him his mug and took her seat opposite him once again.

"I don't think I even know what time zone I'm supposed to be in anymore. I'm more concerned about you. Weren't you wearing that suit yesterday? Did you get any sleep at all?"

"Not really. I was about to go home when last night's team came in. It was Lewis's first time flying solo."

"That's right! How did she do?"

"Quite well, from the sound of things. The slayers were very complimentary."

"That's good. But, Giles, they had to have come in after midnight, at the earliest. You never should have been at the office at all."

"Nothing waiting for me at home," Giles scoffed. A mischievous grin, then appeared on his face. "I'd leave earlier if I knew you were waiting there."

"Giles. . ." Buffy warned.

"I'm just reminding you that there would be mutual benefits. I would be leaning on you as much as you might happen to lean on me. If you were worried about that sort of thing."

"Would you even believe me if I tried to tell you I wasn't?"

"Then let me assure you that I'm being quite selfish in my offer. I've grown so sick of living on my own."

"Giles," she said, reaching across to grab his hand. "That's the thing. You deserve to have someone waiting for you. You deserve to have a home. I've always wanted that for you."

"Buffy, whether you move in or not, that will not change the state of my romantic prospects," Giles said, perceptively. Buffy grimaced at how well he could read her. If she didn't know better, she would say it was more of their freaky Watcher-Slayer bond thing coming into play. It seemed to be getting stronger lately.

"You don't know that. Giles, life is short. I want you to be happy."

Giles shifted and took both of her hands in his own and looked into her eyes, all warm and sincere.

"Buffy, I am happy. You make me happy. Far happier than any romantic entanglements I've had, I can tell you that. And any man or woman who doesn't understand what you mean to me is not someone I would wish to join my life with. There's no sacrifice here. Not at my age. I'm done with it. Done with the games and the posing and the pretending. I just want something real in my life, in whatever form it happens to come in. This here, what we have, it's as real as it comes."

God, how do you respond to that? Buffy leaned down and placed a kiss on his hands and briefly rested her forehead on them.

"You make happy too," she told him softly. "Look, let's go save the world. We can talk about this afterwards."

"That sounds like a very reasonable suggestion."

She was just going to have to get over these fluttery feelings, because they were clearly only going to be keeping her from having what she really wanted, which was Giles by her side. He made the good times sweeter and the bad times more bearable. Yeah, it was easy to get that kind of attachment confused with the more hearts and flowers side of things, but, like Giles said, what they had was real. And she would always take what was real over some illusion, especially when what she got in the end was a brilliant, kind man who was willing to share his life with her. If that wasn't exactly what it she wanted, it was certainly close enough. She had no complaints.


	3. Not for the Faint of Heart

Title: Not For the Faint of Heart  
Series: Somewhere Close By (3 of 3)  
Originally Published: September 6, 2016  
Pairing: Buffy/Giles

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As far as apocalypses went, it could have been worse. Not by much. But it definitely could have been worse. Less fatalities than you might have expected from a battle so large. And, at the end of it, the Cleveland Hellmouth was effectively sealed for at least another millennia. But all of that was because Buffy Summers, Head Slayer for the Slayers' Council of Watchers, was possibly the most stubborn and fierce being on the planet.

Buffy held the front line so that rest of the slayers could fall back to protect their magic users and to wait for final stage of the plan. Then, once everyone was in place, she pushed deep into the Hellmouth. Normally, that would have been a suicide mission, but Buffy had an advantage that none before her could claim. Her way out wouldn't have to be the way she came in.

For months, since Giles had been able to find his lost Slayer in the middle of central London without consciously trying, it had become something of a game for the two of them to test this strange connection of theirs. Giles discovered that if he concentrated, he could pinpoint exact Buffy's location, even when she was on the other side of the planet for one of her trips. When Buffy was stressed or agitated, it just made it easier. They also found that it worked in reverse. It got to the point where Buffy could not only tell when Giles was somewhere close by, but also get a general idea of his mood. (She had become very good at knowing when to have a cup of tea ready for him.) She claimed wasn't that different from honing for vampires. But while they had figured their newfound ability might one day save one or both of their lives, neither ever imagined it could be the key to once again saving the world.

Trusting in her bond with her Watcher, Buffy had battled her way deep into where no living soul dare venture until she could feel a light tug from Giles to go no further. There, she held on, wounded and tired, fighting and fighting until Willow could open a multi-user portal to where Buffy was, based on Giles's specific instructions. He was the first through, to pick her up and whisk her away for medical treatment, while slayers and mages who had followed him completed the final of the seven seals. Since the seals would have to be removed in the order they were cast, there would be no way of accessing the first seal without removing the first six, creating a Gordian Knot.

It was quickly determined that Buffy was suffering as much from exhaustion as she was her battle injuries. Margaret Harkness put Buffy into a healing trance that lasted for nearly two days and insisted that Buffy recover at her own home in Somerset rather than in London or Devon. When Buffy finally woke, she found her sister lying next to her and Giles in a nearby chair, both asleep. She didn't recognize the room, but if she had the two people that meant the most to her close by, then she wasn't going to worry about the details. Buffy looked over longingly at Giles, but his chair was too far away for her to reach. Instead she turned towards her sister and gently smoothed back a few of Dawn's stray hairs.

"She demanded to be with you and no one could gainsay her. She gets her stubbornness from you, after all," said a soft voice.

Buffy turned her head to find her Watcher silently regarding her.

"I thought you were asleep."

Giles shrugged which could mean that he was only dozing or that he had indeed been asleep and her return to consciousness had silently roused him.

"Where are we?"

"Margaret's home. You've been unconscious for nearly three days."

"Sorry to miss the end of the show. No unexpected surprises?"

"No, everything went as smoothly as one could hope under the circumstances."

"How many?" Buffy asked, knowing that Giles wouldn't need clarification as to what she meant.

"Surprisingly few. Three of the slayers from Cleveland. Xander said you wouldn't have known two of them. The third was Cathory." Giles paused to let Buffy process that. Cathory had been a difficult slayer from the very beginning, with a talent for causing strife and discord. Worrisome behavior for a woman who was meant to serve as humanity's protector. Ultimately, Giles and Buffy had decided that sending her to the Hellmouth might instill a sense of responsibility and pride of purpose.

"Not exactly the ending I had hoped for her. But better a hero's death than a gradual fall into darkness, I suppose," Buffy sighed.

"Faith said much the same thing. More bluntly, of course."

"Cathory wasn't exactly playing well with others over in Cleveland either, huh?"

"No, it appears not. Kennedy took a particular dislike to her."

"Not even going to go there. Who else?"

"Angus. Died with his boots on, just as he wanted."

"How are the Lasses taking it?"

"Sorrowfully, but they have each other."

"No one else?"

"No. Many injuries, a fair number severe, but everyone should make a full recovery."

"Thank goodness for that," Buffy's exclamation was interrupted by wide yawn.

"Rest a little more," Giles said, in that warm, caring tone he would get whenever she was hurt. "There will be much to discuss now that the last known Hellmouth is closed."

"What about you? You can't be comfortable there."

"Trust me, Buffy, there's nowhere else I would rather be. I'll still be here when you wake."

True to his word, he was indeed close by when she woke again a few hours later. Even better, Xander and Willow used the multi-user portal to come to England for a few days, so Buffy was surrounded by those she loved. They all deliberately avoided discussing anything that could remotely be considered work related. That would all be for tomorrow.

Giles returned to London the next day, with Buffy staying behind to discuss reassignments. (Dawn reluctantly returned to school, but made Buffy promise to visit the following weekend.) There would be no reason to keep quite so large a headquarters on an inactive Hellmouth, which was good news in terms of the watcher shortage, since most could then be reassigned to London. It was more difficult in terms of senior slayers like Faith and Kennedy who were used to regular fast-paced action. In the end, Buffy wound up staying with Margaret for over a week, commuting to Cleveland via the multi-user portal, which was as much to test the portal as it was to facilitate the transition. Giles stayed in London covering things from there. Though they talked on the phone regularly, it was mostly shop talk, not anything remotely personal. It was almost as if verbalizing how much they missed each other would only make it worse.

It wasn't even that surprising that on Buffy's first day back at headquarters, Giles was stuck in meetings the entire time, but he escaped long enough to poke his head into her office.

"Dinner later?"

"Yeah, that would be great!"

"How would you feel about Mexican? I know you like it."

"I'd feel a whole lot better about what this country calls Mexican if it was something other than dismal Tex-Mex. Heck, I'm desperate enough that I'd even take halfway-decent-Tex-Mex."

Giles couldn't help but smile. He had heard this rant before and, after his years in California, he really couldn't find it in himself to disagree.

"How about authentic 'people from the Mexican Embassy eat there' Mexican?" he asked, lightly.

"Such a place exists?! In _this_ city?!"

"Yes."

"And you are going to take me there?!"

"Yes." Giles was outright laughing at this point. It was easy for him to ignore the slight fissure of disappointment that he hadn't properly conveyed his intentions when she was this excited.

"How fancy?"

"Buffy, you know that I'm no judge—"

"Are you changing?"

"No. And I doubt I will be the only one in a suit."

"Right. Then I'll need to go back to my place first. Where's the restaurant?"

"It's in my neighborhood. I'll drive you back afterwards."

"No way, mister! I'm wise to your ways. You'll drop me off and then you'll stop off at the office for something that clearly could wait until morning and stay for another three hours. I'll cab it."

"You can always stay over, you know."

Buffy paused momentarily to consider. Even though they had said they would talk about moving in together after the apocalypse, Giles hadn't brought it up again (possibly because they had rarely been alone) and Buffy was still conflicted enough not to say anything either. A week living in a home, even if it was not her own, made life in her dorm room seem near intolerable. Everything from her mostly uncomfortable bed to her too small shower reminded her that this was not meant to be a long-term solution. Yet, that only made things more confusing for Buffy, because moving in with Giles simply because she wanted out of the dorms was a terrible reason to do so. But what did one night hurt? If anything, it might clarify what she really wanted and what she actually needed.

"You know what? I think I'll take you up on that," Buffy said. "It's been hard being back in the dorm. Margaret's comfy guest bedroom has me spoiled."

"I suspected as much. I admire your fortitude for lasting this long, to be honest," Giles replied with warm smile that made Buffy wonder how the hell she was going to control her hormones. The man should come with a warning label.

"Meet back here at around six? Or on second thought. . . ." Giles's voice trailed off as he got a scheming look on his face. "Do you think you could stop by my office around 4:30 right before my last meeting starts?"

"Sure, who's it with?"

"The Old Guard"

"Wow. It's been a while since they demanded a meeting. And they're coming here?"

"Well, they were most amenable when I explained it was the only time I had open today and couldn't possibly make my way over to Mayfair as I had meetings right before."

"They were scared you were going to send me in your place."

"Precisely," Giles confirmed with a wicked grin.

"So let's see . . . 'Well, hi there, Mr. Stuffypants and Lord Buttbrain! So good to see you again! Giles, that reminds me. It looks my meeting might end early. I'd like to sit in, if it does.' How's that sound?"

"Perfect, if slightly smug," Giles laughed.

"Right. Less on the smug. More on the saccharine."

"Oh, keep the smug! I do enjoy it!"

"You just want to watch the Old Farts squirm."

"Too bloody right!"

Buffy did more than make them squirm. Her very presence made those former watchers turn white in fear. They hustled Giles through the meeting, agreeing with everything he proposed, and raced from the building not even a half hour since they first entered it. Giles later told Buffy that he owed her at least five dinners for that.

Since Giles suddenly found himself free, they decided to head over to the restaurant early before it got too busy. It was a good start to what proved to be a relaxing, fun evening. The restaurant was cozy and the food was all delicious, meeting Buffy's high standards. Their table was positioned in a quiet corner, so they felt a little more free to talk about slayer-related things without worry about who might be listening. So much had happened in the past few weeks and they were both eager to discuss them. Xander had already announced that he was moving back to London and wanted to resume his old role of checking in with the slayers in the field. That worked fine for Robin, since he never did really take to all the traveling. He was more effective as a teacher. Once an educator, always an educator and all that. Robin had even raised the idea that he and Xander might make good roommates and Xander seemed to be seriously considering it.

Willow was returning to England too, but not to London. She was going to be taking up residence in Devon with the Coven. Alone. Kennedy was staying on in Cleveland, because a sealed Hellmouth wasn't the same thing as a non-existent one. Nobody knew what that meant in terms of their relationship and nobody really wanted to ask. It was clear that the multi-user portal wasn't meant to be used as commuter transportation, after all. A week of constant use tended to cause headaches and unnatural fatigue. Buffy was pretty sure she preferred the aggravation of air travel.

As for Faith, she wasn't sure what she wanted to do, except leave Cleveland. The problem was that she didn't really have a place to go. London made the most sense, but she and Buffy got along much better when there was an ocean between them the majority of the time. It seemed that was holding true for Faith and Robin as well.

When Buffy and Giles mostly had exhausted work news, they switched to more personal interests. Giles mentioned that there was an exhibit at the Tate he was interested in seeing and Buffy offered to go with him, since it had been far too long since she'd been inside an art museum. While she was at Margaret's, Buffy had finally seen some of the new Doctor Who episodes. An old fan himself, Giles was excited to hear what she thought and they had a good long chat about that. (She liked it a lot, but still preferred the X-Files.) When it came to movies, Giles had finally seen that British comedy about a zombie apocalypse that Xander recommended and he had enjoyed it thoroughly, but the romantic comedy that Buffy had been looking forward to had proved to be disappointing. Giles reminded her that there was a new _Pride and Prejudice_ adaptation about to be released and Buffy made him promise to take her.

All in all, it was a wonderful evening. The only thing that marred it was that there was a slight uneasiness about Giles. Or something wistful, maybe. It wasn't a constant companion during dinner. Just flashed here and there and then was gone just as quickly. If Buffy didn't know Giles as well as she did, she doubted she would have realized anything was amiss, though she couldn't quite catch the pattern of what triggered it. It reminded Buffy of times back at the Magic Box when she would have to cut one of their discussions short to go check on her mom and Dawn, but she wasn't quite sure if that was a clue or a red herring.

Buffy thought about it as she finished her dessert when she felt Giles watching her. When she looked up, his eyes were soft and fond. He looked like he was on the verge of laughing.

"What? Do I have some of it on my face?"

"No, you look wonderful. You're here! Alive! Just taking a moment to bask in the presence of my Slayer," he grinned. Unlike some of the heart melting looks he had been shooting her way lately, Buffy knew this particular smile as well as she knew Giles. It was the proud Watcher look he had been sending her way since she was 16 and still made her feel all warm and gooey inside.

"See, this is why I used to feel sorry for the other slayers. They would never have to be the 'one girl in all the world' but they also didn't get their very own Watcher to bond with."

" _Used_ to feel sorry?" Giles asked, amused.

"Yeah, I was wrong. They do. The ones that start tapping into the deeper slayer stuff do. Look at Rona and Ellie Buckingham!"

"Yes, I noticed that Eleanor has taken quite a maternal interest in Rona, for all that she is only a few years older."

"Maternal? Or watcherly? I see Rona improving like crazy every time I go to visit. And Ellie's always there, supporting and advising. Being her rock in our insane little world. The same way that you're mine. I see our relationship in them."

"Buffy, are you sure? Because this has serious consequences, especially since our watcher numbers are still so low."

"I'm positive, but, Giles, don't worry. This is a 'beyond our pay grade' thing."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, we're providing watchers, like Merrick and Wes were to me. People who can train and provide advice, hopefully a bit more capably that poor Wes could when he first arrived. But you were different. From the very beginning, you were different. I had barely met you, but the moment things started going wrong, I went looking for you. It's like I knew that having you near would make things better for me."

"We are bonded. Mystically, I mean. Some watcher and slayer pairs do. No one has quite understood how or why. But I suspect it happened to us on our first meeting."

"Yeah. . . . And I think . . . Well, _now_ I think that I might have Called you to be my Watcher. Or whatever force it was that Called me in the first place Called you to be my Watcher. When it looked like I needed you. Think about it. Suddenly, the Old Council decided that the Sunnydale Hellmouth needed a Watcher permanently stationed there? After centuries of ignoring it? And, of everyone that they could have selected for the job, you just happened to be in the perfect place at the perfect time to get the assignment. Sort of like how Ellie's husband found the perfect tenure-track teaching job in Chicago, when he had only been making some light inquiries to see if moving to closer to Rona was even possible."

"I never considered this before. I mean, yes, of course I believe that it wasn't just a matter of happenstance that our bond formed. That there was something greater at work, but I never. . . ." Giles shook his head, not just because of the deeper ramifications if Buffy's theory should prove to be true, but for the implications he, Rupert Giles, had been selected by some greater power to be the Watcher for Buffy Summers.

"Whoever it was who did the choosing," Buffy smiled, taking both of his hands in hers, "knew what they were doing. I cannot imagine how anyone could suit me better. Given the choice, I would Chose you. I will always chose you."

"Buffy, I'm British. Please don't make me cry in public," Giles replied, mostly joking. Buffy grinned back at him. "So you believe that when a slayer has reached a certain level of skill, a watcher is then selected? Someone with whom the slayer will likely mystically bond?"

"Seems like it. Look, we already figured that not every girl who is Called is going to go pro, right? Some are going to have other interests—like Vi, who is a med student first, slayer second—or some are going to be like Kimberly, the girl I was telling you about before. She's a good enough slayer, but she just doesn't have the deeper instincts."

"Yes. Though fortunately, with so many slayers in the world, that is no longer a death warrant. Any others besides Rona?"

"Giles, every senior slayer that I know—and you and I have identified about twenty so far—each one has a watcher by her side. And they are all showing signs of having mystically bonded. Give them ten years, they'll probably be able to find each other on the other side of the planet, just like you and I can now do."

"Maybe even sooner if they have our example to follow."

"There's just one problem with my theory."

"What's that?"

"Faith. She doesn't have a Watcher and she's definitely playing in the big leagues."

"Well, that's Faith for you. It don't think she disproves your theory as much as she just does not have the temperament to work too closely with anyone. I imagine that she would find a bond similar to ours rather constricting."

Buffy was about to respond when the waiter reappeared, asking if they would like anything else. At their refusal, he then brought the check.

"You sure you wouldn't like a cup of coffee before we go?" Giles asked, not wanting the evening to end. Yes, it was true that Buffy had finally consented to stay over, but they would both likely retire to their separate rooms once they arrived. He'd offer to take her to breakfast in the morning, but it wouldn't be quite the same.

"Honestly, I think I've been in this country too long. All I really want is a cup of tea, but I don't think this is the place," Buffy sighed.

"Well, you're in luck. I have an excellent lapsang souchong back at mine."

"Really? You've been holding out on me!" Buffy pouted.

"Bought it for you," Giles shrugged, his grin warm. Buffy did her best not to blush. It was the small things like this that made her feelings for him so difficult to control.

"You know," Buffy said, quickly. "When Willow and Xander finally move back, we'll have to bring them here. Ex-pat Californians go into withdrawal faster than most of their northern brethren when it comes to Mexican food. You saw me when you told me about this place. I was like a junkie given the promise of a real fix!"

"Yes, well . . . I suppose it's an understandable reaction. . . ." Giles replied and there it was again. That flash of whatever it was. But it was already gone, almost instantly as it appeared, and he was relaxed and smiling once more. "So I take it you liked the place?"

"Liked it?! Did you not just seem be devour everything in sight?! It may even be better than Las Brisas. You remember. That Mexican place in Sunnydale? But it changed hands right after high school and it was never as good after that. I mean, decent enough. But not the same at all."

"Yes, I do remember some complaining when that happened."

"Oh like you weren't bummed too! But, you know, it sort of sucked. I finally had a boyfriend who I could go on dinner dates with – because, you know, Riley could actually eat and everything – and I no longer had a good date place. . . ." Buffy paused, as an all-but-forgotten memory from high school floated to the surface. Catching Giles propositioning a chair. Taking pity on her poor Watcher and coaching him on how to ask Jenny Calendar out. " _How do you feel about Mexican?"_ And suddenly all the pieces fell into place.

"Giles?" she asked cautiously. "Is this a . . . date?"

Giles froze, which was response enough.

"Oh My God! It is! This is a date!" Buffy's smile was dazzling, but before Giles could even process what that might mean, it was replaced with a grimace.

"What? What's wrong?" Giles stammered out.

"I was going to wear this really cute dress, but I got self-conscious and changed into something that was less date-like, at the last minute. I should have kept it on!'

"But . . . you look lovely!" And she did. The skirt and boots were something he'd seen her wear to the office before, but she had done something to make the outfit look more appropriate for an evening out that he couldn't quite pinpoint. Something with her hair, perhaps.

"Yeah, well, I'll wear the dress the next time we got out and you'll see how wrong you are!"

"Next time?" Giles asked, unable to keep the delight out of his voice.

"Well, yeah! I need a do-over! I'm a much better date when I've clocked on to the fact that I'm on one."

"I can't image where you'd find room for improvement."

"Now, you're just flattering me!"

"Well, I would very much like that second date," Giles grinned.

As they left the restaurant, Giles tucked her hand into his arm, as he had so many times since that day Buffy had gotten lost, but for the first time Buffy let herself lean against him like she had been wanting to all along. They shared a grin that was equal parts giddy and bashful and continued their walk back to Giles's, enjoying the nice night and each other's presence. It all felt a little surreal to Buffy. It was like finding out that the one thing you desperately wished for was yours all along. Actually, that was exactly what had happened. No wonder she was so at sea.

"I'm sorry I got so distracted by the promise of Mexican food. I didn't even catch the date connotations."

"Well, I was quite oblique about it. I suppose I should have started with the 'I have a thing, you have a thing' and _then_ led to asking about Mexican. I lost my nerve."

"But I do, you know. Have a thing."

Giles's pleased and bashful smile made Buffy's insides melt a little.

"I didn't know. But I had hoped that . . . well, that I might have reason to hope that you could."

"So what made you finally make a move? Was it because I got hurt?"

"No, that just nearly gave my decision tragic overtones. I had only just resolved to try, you see. Barely hours before, to be honest."

"You're kidding! So what made you change your mind?"

"Right before the apocalypse when we were at your flat—"

"Dorm."

"Dorm," Giles, agreed with mock solemnity. "And we had taken a break from the planning while you made more tea. . . ."

"And you teased me about moving in."

"Yes. And you were so sweet and worried about me being happy. I realized that I was taking the coward's way out, settling for less than what I truly wanted, because I was afraid I might lose what I already did have. 'Faint hear never won fair lady' and all of that."

"Well, call me a coward!" Buffy laughed. "Giles, do you have any idea how hard I've been trying to not make a fool of myself over you?!"

"Oh, Buffy. Truly?"

"Do you remember that day when I got lost? I was so frustrated and worried. And then suddenly, there you were, the one person I wanted to see most in the world. The one that makes everything better. It was all I could do not to throw myself in your arms! I've been fighting my feelings ever since."

"Ironically, that was the day I finally laid down my arms and stopped fighting what I felt for you. I honestly have no idea how long I had been running from this. Years maybe."

"I wish I had known. I kept worrying that I was going to do something stupid and you'd figure out how I felt. And then you'd be all awkward and uncomfortable around me. Why do you think I fought so hard against moving in? My dorm room is not that appealing in comparison to your warm, comfortable home."

"What a pair we are! I kept trying to get you to move in since I thought that was as close I would ever get to what I wanted."

"Well, good thing we cleared this up or we might both have died of sexual frustration," Buffy laughed. Giles stopped short, nearly toppling Buffy in the process. Buffy then froze in embarrassment as it struck her that she had just taken things a bit too far. Not that having feelings of a sexual nature should have been all that surprising. They kind of went with the territory if they were actually going to make a go of it. But it might be a little early to cross that line so casually. Sheepishly, she risked a look at Giles. He was staring back at her, rather stupefied. He flashed her a quick grin when he saw her look of concern, but then grew serious again. Telling her that they needed to take a quick detour, he took her hand and led her to a small "off-licence".

"Wait here," he said. "I won't be a minute."

It wasn't until Giles had disappeared into the store that Buffy realized what he was buying and she covered her face to try to keep in the nervous giggles that were threatening to spill over. She kept her hands tented over her nose and mouth, but slid her hands down to uncover her eyes so she could continue to watch her man. (He was. He was her man now.) She let her hands fall to her sides as Giles left the store so he would be able to see that she was grinning, not hiding her face in shame. It was slightly embarrassing maybe, but she was far too happy to really feel it.

"No expectations or anything like that," he earnestly assured her, as he returned to her side. "I was just enjoying the maybes and possiblys and I didn't want a cold dose of reality getting in the way of that."

Buffy shook her head with a laugh at the whole situation. He really was the most adorable guy ever. Bracing her hands on his shoulders, she raised herself up so that she could kiss him. It was just a quick brushing of lips, but it sent tingles through both of them. Buffy curled her hands around the lapels of his jacket and pressed herself up close.

"There's no 'possibly' in this situation. It's a big, fat 'definitely'. But . . . you promised me tea," she demanded with a teasing pout.

"So I did and so you shall have," he grinned, slipping his arm around her to draw her close to his side. Buffy snuggled up against him with a pleased sigh. They went to courtly first date behavior to the comfort of long-term lovers in the space of a few minutes, but it felt like they were just becoming what they hadn't realized that they already were.

There was no feelings of urgency as they entered their home, as they both now considered it to be. (Buffy would never spend another night in the dorm.) There was no rush to the bedroom, not when they could savor the slow burn growing between them instead. It was a special night, their first night. Extraordinary in its ordinariness and in its promise of all the nights that were to come.

Buffy already knew where the tea things were kept and so she did that as Giles lit the fire in the library. He finished his task before she did hers, so he joined her, unable to remain apart from her for too long. He kissed her for the first time in the kitchen.

When the tea was finally done, they cuddled in front of the fire and made plans for the future. Buffy didn't want to keep traveling as much as she had, not now that she had a home of her own. Fortunately, Faith, if she was willing and Giles strongly suspected she would be, could take on that role alongside Xander. Buffy would still be available for the occasional visits, but the only traveling she was really interested in now would be when she could convince Giles to take a well-deserved vacation with her. Maybe they could go to Italy for a week or two when things had quieted down. There would be children at some point in the future. They should enjoy their solo time while they could. Well, they already had Dawn, but she would be off to university soon. As long as Dawn knew that she would always have a safe place to come home to whenever the world got a little too rough (and Buffy would make sure that she did), then all would be well.

They talked and planned until the fire was dying and then, in the soft glows of the embers, they enjoyed the peace of they found when the other was near. Giles's hands were in Buffy's hair, making her eyes flutter half-closed and Buffy casually stroked his chest and shoulders with the same rhythm.

"Giles?"

"Hmmm?"

"I love you." And she grinned at his slightly startled expression as he pulled back from her a little. After their long silent communion, verbalizing it had seemed almost a non-sequitur even to her. "We hadn't said it yet."

"Oh bless me! You're right! I love you too, Buffy. So very much."

Buffy pulled him down to her again and their slow burn began to spark up.

"Time for bed?" Giles finally asked, slightly breathless.

"Yes, I think so. The perfect time, in fact." And then she started to laugh. "We did it, didn't we?"

"Did what, love?"

"We found 'happily ever after'. I didn't think I ever would."

"Nor I."

"Guess we couldn't get there on our own. We needed each other," Buffy grinned and Giles found himself too filled with emotion to respond. So he kissed her instead and then, hand and hand, they made their way upstairs.

In a few months, there would be a wedding and, in the decades to come, that would be the date that they would commemorate publicly. But it would always be on the anniversary of this night that they would have their true celebration in private. Because it was from this night forward that they considered themselves to be married.


End file.
